Automatic paper-feed for printing-machines.



v F. H. OUADE, JR.

AUTOMATIC PAP ER FEED FU-R PRINTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APELZO I917.

1 ,6 3@&,, PHTPHTQdJlUlQ 11. 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. H. QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20' 19W.

0Q 11 mm: n 1 1M 4 1 mm JF. E mm t m a P F. H. QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

' APPHCATION FILED APR.20. 19w.

1,269,30. Patented June 11; 1918.

4 SHEEIS-SHEET 3- l J\ I I ll Oil I "J F. H. .QUADE', JR. AUTOMATIC PAPER FEED FOR PRINTING MACHINES. 'APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. IBM.

LQBQBUQW Patented June 11, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

FRANK H. QUAIDE, JR., OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

.eu'roirn'rio PAPER-FEED FOR. PRINTING-MACHINES.

i'eeaeoa.

i This invention relates to means for feeding paper to the printing mechanism of printing machines. One object of the invention is toprovide means whereby the pile the transferring mechanism so that the uppermost sheet in the pile will always be in position to be engaged by the transferring mechanism, and a further object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby the movement of the apparatus may be accurately adjusted to the thickness of the sheets of paper being fed to theprinting mechanism.

- The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a printing machine having my improved paper feed mechanism in position thereon;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in sec tion and partly in elevation of the paper feeding mechanism showing the same in the position assumed when a sheet of paper is being transferred to the conveyer;

Fig.3 is a similar view showing the parts in the position assumed when the top sheet isabout to be engaged;

. Fig. fl: is a plan viewof the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged'detail plan view of the adjustable actuating lever.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated a frame 1 upon which is supported a printingroller mechanism 2 adapted to cooperate with a reciprocating type bed which is not shown. Upon this frame is also mounted driving mechanism which may be actuated by an electric motor supported upon the frame and comprises a driving shaft 3 having an eccentric or cam 41* at one end which is connected bya 5 with an angle lever 6 on the frame, the said angle lever transmitting movement through a connecting rod 7 to acrank arm orlever 8 and the said crank arm or lever having pivoted thereto one end of a pitman 9. BA vibratory lever lfiis alsomounted upon the frame and operatively connected withthe main shaft 3. the urperend f this leverb mg conne t Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 191%.

Application filed April 20, 1917. Serial No. 163,457.

ed with the type bed and its lower end, in the present instance, being connected w1th the piston rod 11 which extends into the cylinder 12 of an air pump and is connected withthe piston working in the said cylinder. The several parts thus far mentioned may be of any preferred form or arrangement and are illustrated herein in a more or less conventional manner and only to such an extent that the improvements forming the present invention may be readily understood. of sheets will be fed automatically toward The sheets of paper to be fed to the printing mechanism, of which the train of rollers indicated at 2 forms a part, are piled upon the table or board 13 and are transferred. singlyand successively to conveyers 1 1 by which they are carried to and delivered into the printing mechanism. The board or table 13 is pivotally attached at its forward end to a bracket 15 slidably engaged around a ver tical bar or post 16 which is rigidly supported at its lower end upon a cross rod 17 which is rigidly secured at its ends to the supporting arms 18 projecting from the end of the main frame.

As. just stated, the board or table 13 is pivotedat one end to a bracket 15 so that it is capable of a swinging movement in a vertical plane and a slotted lug or plate 19 depends from the board or table past a rigid arm 20 projecting from the bracket 15, a holdingbolt 21 being inserted through said slotted plate into said arm so as to secure the table at any angle in which it may be set. By giving the table a slight inclination, the sheets of paper will be caused to break from the stock against the guide board 22 so that only a single sheet will be picked up by the transferring mechanism. The table is constructed with longitudinal slots 23 and transverse slots 24 which receive set screws or similar devices 25 by which end and side boards 26 are adjustably secured upon the table. These boards will bear against the edges of the sheets of paper and, as they are adjustable, will permit the operator to arrange the device so as to support sheets of any dimensions in proper alinement. In actual practice I so adjust the end or back board and set the table at such an angle that the upper portion of the back board will be at a distance from the front board 22 slightly less than the length of the sheets, the result beinga buckling of the upper sheets and a slight separation of the same a? th t receive the thrust of .the supporting I arm 20 and the said .anin may, if preferred be -;Formed .asan integralpart of saidbracket. Thewgage board 22 is carried by lugs or brackets 29 which aresecured upon the cross bar 1,7 and the rod .30: connecting the upper endstoditheposts 116., The bracket 15 iiSPIO- yided-at its lower edge with a forwardly-projecting arm 31 which extends around the post; 16, and {beyond the same and is constructed at its extremity with a threaded bore to. engage around the Worm 32. This Worm 32' is mounted at its .lowerend inla :fiorward extension of the bracket 28 which secured on the post 16 just above the rod 17 and below the said bracket a. ratchet Wheel 33 is rigidly secured nponthe Worm so as to rotate therewith. This ratchet 3-3 is partly inclosed by a hood '314: which is mounted loosely upon the lower end Olflthe worm. A lever. isjlooselypivoted upon the Worm immediately adjacent} the :upper side of the hood 34. and the rear end'lof; the ,pitnian 9 is pivoted to this lever so that when, the pitman is recip'rocated the lever still ,be vibrated. The freetend of the lever projectst beyond the edge of :the hood 34 and carries a pawl 36 which isadapted to engage tllelteeth otthe ratchet, Wheel .or disk-33 and thereby impart motion-tothe said ratchet Wheel or disk and the Worm 32 J30 which it is rigidly secured. By referring to :Fig. 5, ,itawill'be noted that in one position of the lever 35 the pawl 36;Wil1,ride upo-nithe rim of [the [hood 34: and it will, therefore, be obvious :that, byproperly adjusting thehood,

.moreor less a of the strokeof the pawl will be overthe surface of the hood, and therefore, out of engagement with the ratchet wheel. Iitis thus ,possible to adjust thede- 'niceto the :thicknessof the sheets of paper being fedito thenprinting mechanism Without dismantling any part and without requiring a complicated i structure. The bracket 28 is "so formed asttonpass around the Worm 32 and an tar-r1137 is entendeduoutwardly and downwardly drom the said bracket, the downwardly; extending-extremity oflth'e said arm being-i split and haying one branch r38 bent over andtoward .thetop of the hood 34:50 asltowforma pointer arranged tolcoiipcrate with a scale 89 a on" the hood while the other branch of the said arm is carried tance equal ytof 1';

downwardly past the rim of the hood and receives a set screw 40 carried by a clamping bar M which eXtendsu-p into the hood at the iane side i the fimthe A thumb nut 42 mounted upon the set screw 40, may be turned home against the branch ea f the arm 37'so as to effect a clampingengagement between; thei r i n ofi the hood and the arm 41 whereby the hood Will be held positively in any position in mhichit mayibeset.

At-rtlle-l nneraen f .theklever 35 isseeu a beveled \gearae which -di posed:leosely ng he s i e thetahlelQitb --the-.lconreye s as I): pr f r to; employ sue ion tubes :69 {to engage the sheets and directly transterwthem, saidrt hes being con.- nectjed with pamp 12 gas; will ;be readily underst od.

It is thought the operation WlllvlQE readily under tood fr m. =tl1eiforegoing d scripti n taken in connectionr iith the accompanying drawings As the pitman t9 moves: fearwardlm thenpawl 86. will helmovedintoem gagementv with the ratchet Wheel or disk; 33 and will actuate the A-same qto theextent perittedhy the head as. Thislmorementcof the ratchet disk. will :be-transmitted directly to the worm ,32 land the rotation .o-tthe worm will, through ;-,its. engagement \with the. pro;- j tion r31 wolfthe bracket r15, causeupward ,mojeenrent of the said xbr-acketandithe table carried by the sa1ne,.;therehy=litting thertable andathe-paper ,iled upon the same a disiielthickness oflone sheet of paper. As the ,Jpitman :9; and; lever '"35 move forwardly, the pawl vWill ride onto througha conthe mechanism for l ith the le e so ha it Wa l follow th lthegrim {ofthe hood andxtlie-initial portion alr to. the-piletof sheets; "lihisgentlelfiow of air keeps )the sheets; slightly separated and also serves! to overcome the, static electricity inzthey paper. i l 1 The llmpro'red' i mechanism .lhereinl, disclosed .isec ompact and islcomposedcofwtew. parts- "Which are simple inconstructionvand direct moval of a sheet and by very slight adjustment the apparatus may be adapted to any thickness of paper. The feeding mechanism actuated by the gears a4: and 4:6 transfer a sheet of paper from the table to the conveyer during the interval of rest for the ratchet and the elevating worm. Moreover, it is possible to feed thick cards or thin paper with equal facility.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a support, a table movable vertically on the support, a worm operatively connected with the table, a ratchet disk secured to the lower end of the worm, a hood disposed concentrically with the worm and the ratchet disk and partly inclosing the disk, an arm fixed to and extending from the support over the hood, means carried by the free end of said arm to engage the hood and secure the same in a set position, a lever mounted concentrically with the worm and extending over the hood and beyond the rim of the same, means for oscillating said lever, and a awl carried by the lever and arranged to ride on the rim of the hood and engage the edge of the ratchet disk.

2. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a support, a table movable Vertically on the support, a worm operatively connected with the table, a ratchet disk secured to the lower end of the worm, a hood disposed concentrically with the worm and the ratchet disk and partly inclosing the disk, said hood being provided with agraduated arcuate scale on its upper surface disposed concentrically with the worm, an arm fixed to and extendingfrom the support over the hood, a pointer carried by said arm and depending therefrom to the top of the hood and cooperating with said scale, a lever mounted concentrically with the worm and extending beyond the rim of the hood, means for oscillating said lever, a pawl, carried by the lever and arranged to ride on the rim of the hood and engage the edge of the ratchet disk, and means carried by the free end of the fixed arm to engage the rim of the hood and secure the hood in a set position.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a support, a table movable vertically on the support, a worm operatively connected with the table, a

ratchet disk secured to the lower end of the worm, a hood disposed concentrically with the worm and ratchet disk and partly in closing the disk and having a rim depending past the edge of the disk, an arm fixed to and extending from the support over the hood and having its extremity projecting past the rim of the hood at the outer side thereof, a clamping plate disposed at the inner side of the rim of the hood, a clamping bolt carried by said plate and extending through the extremity of the fixed arm, means cooperating with said bolt and the end of the arm to clamp the rim of the hood between said arm and said plate, a lever mounted concentrically with the worm and extending beyond the rim of the hood, means for oscillating said lever, and a pawl carried by said lever and arranged to ride on the rim of the hood and engage the edge of the ratchet disk. I

4. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a support, a table movable vertically on the support, a worm operatively connected with the table, a ratchet disk secured to the lower end of the worm, a hood disposed concentrically with the worm and ratchet disk and partly inclosing the disk, said hood being provided with I a graduated scale on its upper surface disposed concentrically with the worm, an arm fixed to and extending from the support over the hood and having its outer end divided longitudinally, one branch of said divided portion being turned to the top of the hood to cooperate with the scale thereon and the other branch of the said divided portion of the arm depending past the rim of the hood, a clamping plate disposed at the inner side of the rim of the hood, a clamping bolt carried by said plate and extending through the depending portion of the fixed arm, means cooperating with said bolt whereby the rim of the hood may be clamped between said plate and the depending portion of the arm to hold the hood in a set position, a lever mounted concentrically with the worm and extending beyond the rim of the hood, and a pawl carried by said lever and arranged to ride on the rim of the hood and engage the edge of the ratchet disk.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK H. QUADE, JR. [L.S.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of lPetents,

Washington, D. (2 

